Students who want to go overseas ideally see themselves heading straight to their dream destination and spend all of their undergraduate years there.
However, due to many circumstances, this isn’t always possible.
There are alternatives to this and you would still be getting the international accreditation that you desire.
We’ll explain to you about the two alternative methods that are popular amongst Malaysian students: twinning and credit transfers.
What Is a Twinning Course?
When you enrol in a twinning course, you will be introduced to the terms 2+2 or 2+1.
These numbers indicate the number of years you will be studying in Malaysia and abroad (two years in Malaysia, two years abroad for 2+2).
You would be taking the same course as other students at the foreign university as you will go through the same examinations and graded by the university itself (i.e lecturers will send exam papers to their partner university for the final assessment).
What Is a Credit Transfer?
Firstly you need to understand how the term credit is used in universities.
A credit is the recognition of you having passed a course and is measured in hours.
So, in order to graduate you would often need to fulfill a number of credit hours.
A credit transfer is when you transfer credits that you’ve earned from one university to another.
This involves you physically transferring to that particular university as well.
Instead of starting your course from scratch, you would be able to reduce the number of credits you need to graduate, thus decreasing the amount of time it will take for you to graduate.
By the end of your studies, you will be conferred with an award from the university that you transferred to.
A popular method of credit transfer course in Malaysia is the American Degree Programme, which you can read more about here.
The university that you’re planning to transfer credits to must be a partner university to the one you’re currently attending for an easier transfer process.
You can check for a collaboration list with your university to find out more.
Credit transfers are based on your results and each subjects’ learning outcome.
The university you plan to transfer to will cross check their syllabus with yours, and if your scores do not meet the benchmark they’ve set, you won’t get exemptions.
What Are the Benefits of Taking These Pathways?
An example of INTI International Universities & Colleges’ partner universities
If you thought twinning or credit transfers would limit your study abroad options – you would be wrong.
Utilise our Institutions option to do some research before you apply for local private universities to find out their partner institutions.
You’ll discover that many local institutions are partnered with universities located in destinations popular among Malaysian students, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States.
What’s more, the partner universities are highly ranked and renowned internationally.
Take for instance, Taylor’s University’s partners include the University of Manchester, the University of Queensland, the University of Melbourne, Stanford University, and New York University.
Taylor’s University, Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU), UOW Malaysia KDU University College, INTI International University & Colleges
Most people would opt for these options due to economic reasons. As you’ll be spending a portion of your studies in Malaysia, you will get to cut cost on your university fees compared with studying 3 to 4 years abroad.
Additionally, there is a type of partnership whereby local universities would allow you to spend all your undergraduate years locally and still get a foreign degree. Typically this is if you’re undertaking a ‘3+0’ or ‘4+0’ course, where you wouldn’t even have to leave the country to get a foreign certificate.
For example, if you take BEng (Hons) Automotive Engineering (3+0), University of Sunderland you would be paying a total of RM69,700 for your tuition fee. You could use the money saved up to take up additional skills and cover any emergency expenses during your time there or even channel some for travelling!
Bachelor of Psychological Science (Hons) (3+0), Flinders University, Australia, BSc (Hons) Biology with Psychology (Validated by Lancaster University), BA in Psychology (4+0), Southern New Hampshire University, US, BA (Hons), Event Management & Marketing (3+0), University of Hertfordshire, UK.
Can I get a scholarship?
Yes, though it is more likely for you to obtain a scholarship for the study duration you’ll go through at a local university (normally during your First Year). If you’d like to check your eligibility for university-sponsored scholarships, register to Uni Enrol and use our Pathway Match option. Alternatively, you may also contact us to talk to our experienced counsellors.